The agreement, plus its three annexes, maps out a road transportation network in Asia, setting down basic technical standards and their route signs.

As the first inter-governmental regional agreement signed by members of the UNESCAP since it was established 57 years ago, the network should accelerate economic integration in Asia.

Initiated in 1959, the Asian highway project now extends to 32 countries with a total length of 140,000 kilometres. The open-ended network, still wooing more countries and highways to join, will link capital cities, key ports, tourist resorts, industrial and commercial centres across Asia.

It is a blessing especially to landlocked Central Asian countries, which are home to some of the world's poorest people. Using the network as a convenient corridor to the nearest harbours, they will be able to conduct more efficient business transactions with the outside world.

The road network attracts so much attention because what it links is a continent boasting great diversity in geographical conditions, cultural and religious traditions and economic development levels.

Though relevant countries still need to enter into bilateral or multilateral pacts to settle such details as permission for entry, quotas and the permitted distance of transportation by foreign vehicles, the signing of the agreement has sparked hope for enhanced mutual understanding and exchanges among Asian nations and, ultimately, common prosperity.

The road network, expected to bypass ideological and geographic differences, is sure to link Asian countries more closely to better meet the challenges of globalization.

It indicates that Asian countries with deep-rooted national traditions now have a new understanding and show a more active posturing towards opening up and co-operation, which is in line with the trend of regional integration and globalization.

The agreement is particularly significant to China, which has actively promoted the concept from the very beginning.

As an important link, China has 26,000 kilometres of highways already connected with or planned to link to the highway network, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the network's entire length. The construction of 11,000 kilometres of roads in the network has already been completed, and the rest will be ready by 2010.

These roads, connecting 130 cities in China, will cover a total population of nearly 300 million residents.

Most of those sections go through China's western regions, which are economically backward compared to the prosperous coastal provinces.

The network, therefore, will inject great development momentum and create new development opportunities for these areas by enhancing their economic exchanges and co-operation with neighbouring countries.

In addition, the network will attract more goods from Asia's landlocked countries to use China's harbours.

China has already signed 12 bilateral and multilateral road transportation agreements with 10 countries in the region.